Monday, September 14, 2015

What's the connection between tainted cucumbers and heroin addiction you may ask - Read on for my take on it. . .

"Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers from Mexico sickens hundreds" this was the headline on September 4th. That is when Fox 31 in Denver also reported a statement from Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services saying “State and local health departments have been working around the clock with federal partners to rapidly identify the source of this outbreak so we can inform the public.”

Last week while watching the national news, there was an update reporting that 3 had died and over 300 in 30 states had become ill from this "salmonella outbreak". That's when I knew this had to be my next blog. Here's how I see it:

For years, another product of Mexico has been poisoning people in our country, namely heroin.

Nationally, fatal overdoses are occurring at the rate of 1 every 4 minutes. That translates into more than 350 people a day. Do we ever hear that statistic?

If there have been "federal partners working around the clock with our state and local health departments to "rapidly identify the source of the heroin into this country so the public can be informed", I must have missed that announcement!

How is it possible that salmonella linked to cucumbers from Mexico gets national attention when people are dying at an alarming rate from the heroin that's coming from the same state!! How does that happen?

Are the deaths and illness from the salmonella worth reporting? Absolutely. More than heroin addiction? I think not! This public health issue demands at the very least equal media exposure and the same kind of "rapid" response on the federal, state and local levels.

That's why the rally in DC on October 4th is vitally important. The Unite to Face Addiction Rally on that day is to bring attention to the need for immediate attention to this disease and make it "The Day the Silence Ends". The silence that surrounds this disease is deafening and deadly. Let's stand up and speak out and "unite to face addiction". For more information on the rally, visit: https://www.facingaddiction.org

In case you are interested in learning more about how heroin has gotten into this country, go to Dreamland by Sam Quinones.